Horsefest!
Aug. 27th, 2005 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
altivoPoor 'Tivo is hopelessly in love with an unattainable. His picture is here. This magnificent stallion is named Santiago, and he is a five time national champion Andalusian. The photos don't do him justice. He is silver like moonlight and moves like mercury. He has a great, flowing and wavy mane like a Friesian, and a tail to match, and is an absolute gentleman, patient, obedient, kind, and tolerant of crowds of admirers who just want to say they touched him.
We were at the Northern Illinois Horsefest today, in Boone County. The usual assortment of booths full of cowboy and cowgirl clothing, saddles, bridles, and other gimmicks. Ho-hum, really. We didn't go to any of the clinics, of which there were many. But we ran home to do our evening chores, stopped for a quick dinner in Marengo, and returned to the fairgrounds for "The Night of the Horse". They had advertised the Black Pearl Friesian Dance Group, who perform in a darkened arena carrying lights, and I wanted to see them. Alas, Black Pearl was a no show for some reason. But it was still worth it. The weather was perfect, cool, dry, clear, with a light breeze. No mosquitoes, even after sunset when the arena lights came on, because we've had a severe drought this summer. We saw a military quadrille in uniform, trick riders, a vaulting team made up of children who did amazing gymnastics on the back of a moving percheron, a dozen miniature horses that performed a perfect drill routine pulling carts and drivers, a ladies' side saddle troop (darned good and a lot braver than I am), a superb dressage demonstration by Mari Monda Zdunic, an eye opening reining exhibition by Monty Bruce. Country singer Templeton Thompson sang (really, not just lip synced) while riding, not an easy feat.
The peak of the show for both of us, though, was Laura Amendaz and her Andalusian stallion, Acierto. She did a free dressage demonstration. Free as in, no rider, no saddle, no bridle. Her horse put on a spectacular exhibition of dressage moves to Bryan Adams' songs from the film Spirit, "I Will Always Return" and "You Can't Take Me". It was described as making love in dance, which it was, as the horse repeatedly approached and nearly touched her, reared up to his full height (a good 12 feet I think) and danced on his hind hooves. He raced away from her and returned, with flashy movements, piaffes, lead changes, and passages. All she did was gesture with two long driving whips and he obeyed. She never touched him until the very end of the routine, when he stood beside her and bowed, touching his forehead to the ground, and she laid her hand on his withers as she bowed herself. Indescribably moving and powerful.
During all this, though, Santiago stood quietly outside the arena, rider on his back. When they did a parade of stallions, he did enter the ring and make a few dressage passes, with absolute grace. Most of the time, though, he stood like a perfect equestrian statue, and people kept turning their heads from the action inside the arena to stare at him. That is one magnificent hunk of horseflesh, with a superb personality as well. As for Laura's dancing stallion Acierto, who is not quite as striking but still a superb specimen, I overheard someone saying that she was offered $20,000 for him and her answer was simply, "He's not for sale."
Fortunately for 'Tivo, even though Santiago is utterly beyond his reach, he has an equally superb mount in his beloved Imperator, who carries him willingly on Tapestries MUCK. Imperator can do everything those Andalusians can do, plus something else: he can really fly, being of the line of Pegasus. He can execute dressage or reining moves with perfect aplomb, and would be able to pull off the show-stopping exit from the arena too, by spreading his wings and flying right over the gate without any need for it to be opened. :) 'Tivo is going to have lovely dreams tonight...
We were at the Northern Illinois Horsefest today, in Boone County. The usual assortment of booths full of cowboy and cowgirl clothing, saddles, bridles, and other gimmicks. Ho-hum, really. We didn't go to any of the clinics, of which there were many. But we ran home to do our evening chores, stopped for a quick dinner in Marengo, and returned to the fairgrounds for "The Night of the Horse". They had advertised the Black Pearl Friesian Dance Group, who perform in a darkened arena carrying lights, and I wanted to see them. Alas, Black Pearl was a no show for some reason. But it was still worth it. The weather was perfect, cool, dry, clear, with a light breeze. No mosquitoes, even after sunset when the arena lights came on, because we've had a severe drought this summer. We saw a military quadrille in uniform, trick riders, a vaulting team made up of children who did amazing gymnastics on the back of a moving percheron, a dozen miniature horses that performed a perfect drill routine pulling carts and drivers, a ladies' side saddle troop (darned good and a lot braver than I am), a superb dressage demonstration by Mari Monda Zdunic, an eye opening reining exhibition by Monty Bruce. Country singer Templeton Thompson sang (really, not just lip synced) while riding, not an easy feat.
The peak of the show for both of us, though, was Laura Amendaz and her Andalusian stallion, Acierto. She did a free dressage demonstration. Free as in, no rider, no saddle, no bridle. Her horse put on a spectacular exhibition of dressage moves to Bryan Adams' songs from the film Spirit, "I Will Always Return" and "You Can't Take Me". It was described as making love in dance, which it was, as the horse repeatedly approached and nearly touched her, reared up to his full height (a good 12 feet I think) and danced on his hind hooves. He raced away from her and returned, with flashy movements, piaffes, lead changes, and passages. All she did was gesture with two long driving whips and he obeyed. She never touched him until the very end of the routine, when he stood beside her and bowed, touching his forehead to the ground, and she laid her hand on his withers as she bowed herself. Indescribably moving and powerful.
During all this, though, Santiago stood quietly outside the arena, rider on his back. When they did a parade of stallions, he did enter the ring and make a few dressage passes, with absolute grace. Most of the time, though, he stood like a perfect equestrian statue, and people kept turning their heads from the action inside the arena to stare at him. That is one magnificent hunk of horseflesh, with a superb personality as well. As for Laura's dancing stallion Acierto, who is not quite as striking but still a superb specimen, I overheard someone saying that she was offered $20,000 for him and her answer was simply, "He's not for sale."
Fortunately for 'Tivo, even though Santiago is utterly beyond his reach, he has an equally superb mount in his beloved Imperator, who carries him willingly on Tapestries MUCK. Imperator can do everything those Andalusians can do, plus something else: he can really fly, being of the line of Pegasus. He can execute dressage or reining moves with perfect aplomb, and would be able to pull off the show-stopping exit from the arena too, by spreading his wings and flying right over the gate without any need for it to be opened. :) 'Tivo is going to have lovely dreams tonight...
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-28 09:06 am (UTC)Big Green Machine) I lived with a sister in Kentucky. One day
I was riding my bike and happened upon a huge park. It had
many horses in it behind fences. Most running and covorting but
one in a large enclosure by himself. I road my bike past him and
he ran along with me snorting and braying. I stopped and went
back. He did the same thing, playfully. I spent about an hour
doing this "play" with him. It was fun and he seemed full of
life and energy like I was.
Your pic of the white stallion reminds me of that long ago horse.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-28 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 09:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-28 06:45 pm (UTC)Mmm, Andalusians are so beautiful. And silvery white is my favorite color on a horse. Seeing so fair a creature moves something in my spirit. I think I'm in love with Santiago too :D I feel your pain, my friend. *wiggles and writhes in his seat* I'm so jealous.
Imperator sounds absolutely wonderful, btw. I would never turn down a ride on his graceful back ;)
And I also have the soundtrack to "Spirit." I love Bryan Adams's songs because the many of the lyrics represent how I feel. And of course Hans Zimmer is a wonderful composer too.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-28 07:11 pm (UTC)I don't think anyone could have watched that entire evening and still argued that horses aren't just as smart as dogs. Their intelligence works in slightly different directions but it can be sharper than some people I've known. And when that stallion was running free and naked of any tack, he was working the crowd as much as any performer. You could see his eyes on the stands as he went out of his way to show himself to each corner and side of the arena. I've watched showdogs do the same thing. It's not something they are taught, it's something they do out of a desire to please humans and be favored for it. I was definitely reminded of a (human) gypsy dancer I used to see at Renaissance faires around here. Obviously straight, sexy as hell, but he was perfectly willing to play to any gay men he could spot in his audience just for the pure satisfaction of knowing he could make them want him.